* An informal essay done for my Introduction to the New Testament class.*
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Jesus and Paul:
Similarities and Purported Differences
The
textbook has several handy lists of similarities and differences, which will be
the primary reference for this essay (Ehrman 389 and 390). Some of the
differences are used to claim that Jesus and Paul advocated different
religions. The focus of this essay is not to argue that point, though it will
come up a bit. The primary purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast Jesus
and his apostle, Paul.
First,
the similarities; these cannot really be refuted, a basic reading of the text
(New Testament) will agree with these particular similarities. Both men were
born Jewish, and though were Christians, believed they adhered to the Jewish
Law all their lives. Both ascribed to an apocalyptic view of faith (that the
end would soon come). Jesus and Paul predicted the coming of the Son of Man to
judge the world (the textbook specifies their belief as the return of Jesus
within the lifetime of Jesus’ disciples; this is not a commonly held belief by
Christians today). First Jesus, then Paul, by their actions and their preaching
taught that the Law was not salvation (i.e. obeying the Law to the letter will
not save a person from hell). Finally, both men taught that faith in God is
necessary, and that the Law, stripped down, was summed up by loving your
neighbor.
Now,
for the differences (differences highlighted): Jesus taught that the “the coming judge of the Earth is the Son of
Man.” Paul taught that the judge was Jesus. This is not a contradiction.
While Jesus never directly said “I am the Son of God.” He was approached by
several people who called him God, and he did not refute them. He also said,
“he that hath seen me [Jesus] hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). By Jesus’
history, he was the “Son of Man” having been born to Mary.
Jesus
taught that “to escape judgment, a person must keep the central teachings of
the Law as Jesus himself interpreted them.” Paul taught “to escape judgment, a
person must believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and not rely on
observance of the Law.” Again, this is not a contradiction. Jesus did teach his followers to uphold his version of the Law. “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matt. 22:37-39). However, Jesus also said “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6). This is the same as what Paul taught. Paul taught to believe on the resurrection of Jesus, and the death and resurrection of Jesus was how Jesus offered salvation to the world. One more
thing, Paul may not have required strict adherence to Jewish law, but he made
it clear that Christians were to act in a way which honors the Lord. The
instructions, admonishments, and praise for actions, line up with the Law, it
can be inferred that while following the Law is not salvation, it is fine to
still follow the Law, and that it likely is a good guideline.
Jesus
taught that “Jesus own importance lies in his proclamation of the coming of the
end and in his correct interpretation of the Law.” Paul taught that “Jesus
importance lies in his death and resurrection for sins.” This view assumes
that Jesus did not believe he was the Son of God, which is not the case. If
Jesus importance did lie in “the coming of the end and in his correct
interpretation of the Law” why did he assert the need for salvation, through
himself? (John 14:6) When the belief is that Jesus knew he was the Son of God
and was teaching that Jesus is the only way to God (which seems likely based on
Scripture), then Paul’s belief again lines up very well with Jesus teaching.
Jesus taught that “The end of the age began
in the lives of Jesus’ followers, who accepted his teachings and began to
implement them in their lives.” Paul taught that “The end of the age began with
the defeat of the power of sin at the cross of Jesus.” This can be argued
both ways, to the moon and back. This seems almost trifling. Why does the exact
beginning of the age really matter? Is not the true issue that Jesus offered
salvation to everyone? Even before his death, Jesus was pointing people toward
God in the exact same way that people are pointed toward God today. Again, John
14:6, “no man cometh unto the Father, but
by me.” So, based on that statement, then perhaps the end of the age began
when Jesus said that. It is reasonable, however, for Paul to have correlated
the death of Jesus with the end of the age. What is the answer? I don’t know,
and maybe it isn’t that important?
So, a lot of the differences between Jesus’ and Paul’s teachings seem
to be based on the fact that Paul was teaching afterward. His teachings do not
contradict Jesus’ teachings, they simply are based on Paul’s worldview, and
since his teachings do not contradict or negate Jesus’ teachings, it is simply
inaccurate to say that Paul and Jesus taught different religions. Paul’s
beliefs—that Ehrman portrays as much different from Jesus’ beliefs—actually
agree with Jesus’ teachings.
* Like with all these essays, any reference to the textbook is from Bart Ehrman's "A Brief Introduction to the New Testament" 3rd Edition
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